Gertrude Chamberlin School
Family Newsletter December 10, 2020 Volume 15 Issue 21
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR COMMUNITY FRIENDS FOR THEIR SUPPORT!
We know that the holidays are especially challenging this year, and we are coming together as a school and a community to once again support our families. We are especially grateful for the following people and organizations who have donated their time, talents, money, gift cards, and food baskets to our school. We have been able to support many families with winter clothing, food and gift cards to help make the holidays a little brighter. We thank these wonderful GCS friends for the love and caring that they show to our school community!
"SCHOOL LUNCH FAIRIES"
VIBRANT CHURCH
IGNITE CHURCH
THE VIVIAN AND BRIAN COMPANION FAMILY
ROBERT AND EILEEN BOUVIER
BRENDA "MIMI" WELLS - our "shopping elf"
BRENDA MCDOWELL BEER - 100 masks sewn for our school...with adjustable ear straps and nose pieces!
PEBBLESVTCRAFTS/CHATTERING HENS - Beautiful hand knit hats and fidget cuffs.
THE COVER FAMILY - boxes of handwarmers for the staff outside at arrival and dismissal!
100 masks made with love!
Boxes of hats stitched with care!
Winter coats purchased with kindness!
December 17th Deadline for Full Time Remote Option - VTVLC Openings for Spring
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The VT Agency of Education, our Health Department and South Burlington School District are all committed to having students learning in school as long as it is safe. Dr. Anthony Faucci has stated that students are safest in school because schools are carefully adhering to the safety protocols and your child’s school is doing just that. Superintendent David Young has been transparent regarding any confirmed COVID cases and exposures for each school to help everyone remain safe and confident in our ability to keep our schools safe. If, however, your family’s situation has changed and you have an individual in your household whose health requires even more isolation, VTVLC represents a reasonable option for your student’s education.
VTVLC(Vermont Virtual Learning Collaborative) has a limited number of seats open for grades K through Grade 5 for the spring semester beginning on January 18th.
What should a student expect from VTVLC?
VTVLC elementary students are assigned a class with one teacher who provides direct instruction in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies with one synchronous class per subject a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. and Friday. Wednesday is available for an elective (special). Classes are capped at 25 students. The Florida curriculum is based on the Common Core (Vermont also follows the Common Core) but students will be coming into the middle of the year and the pacing of the subjects may have been different from their current classrooms. The students will have assignments for each subject through the week to provide the practice that is needed to acquire the new learning. Some of the practice is online and some on paper. Paper assignments will need to be scanned or photographed and returned to their teacher.Teachers may also schedule small group or individual instruction depending on need.The system offers text to voice to assist with reading.
What should a parent expect?
Parents/guardians are important to the success of student learning by ensuring that your student(s) access the synchronous sessions, complete the daily assignments, help with returning assignments to the teacher and assisting your child as needed. You are able to be observers in your child’s learning and can view your child’s progress any time. It is very helpful to be reasonably comfortable with technology, especially for the youngest of our students who require the most support.
If you would like to explore VTVLC as an option for your family, please call me at 802-307-2573. Applications for VTVLC must be received by December 17th.
Dr. Michelle (Shelley) Mathias
VTVLC K – 8 Coordinator
Internet Safety Event for South Burlington Elementary Parents and Caregivers
TECHNICOOL: Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet ©
Virtual Caregiver and Parent Event
December 16th, 2020 |6-7:30pm
Topics discussed during this event will be keeping kids safe in digital environments and addressing children exhibiting concerning digital behaviors. For more information please contact Kirstie Grant at kgrant@pcavt.org or 802-498-0622. This event is sponsored by Rick Marcotte Central School and open to all South Burlington Elementary School parents/caregivers.
Please click HERE to register.
Shopping on Amazon to Benefit Our School
Spirit Rings and Spirit Sticks
Girl Scouts Upcoming Events
Dressing for the Weather
The cold weather is here! Please be sure you send your child with long pants, snow pants, boots, jacket, hats, and mittens to wear at recess every day. Remember to label your child’s outdoor gear.
HEAD-TO-TOE TIPS FOR DRESSING FOR WINTER WALKING TO SCHOOL
- Keep your hands and head covered to prevent heat loss
- On really cold days, wear a scarf over your face and mouth
- Wear a warm coat that deflects the wind
- Wear warm, waterproof boots
- Woolen clothing helps to retain the heat
- Wear clothing or carry knapsacks with reflective material - it's important to be seen
- If possible, change wet clothes at school - tuck an extra pair of socks and mitts into knapsacks
Below -13oF is considered too cold for walking--move your walk indoors, or select another day for outdoor activities and walking to school.
Kindergarten artists learned about primary colors
and how to mix colors after reading
the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh.
Art News
Please see the attached art news. Also, please send in an old shirt or apron your child can keep in their cubby to use as a smock during Art. Thank you!
Time To Order Your Yearbook!
Health Updates
Social Gatherings
- Why are social gatherings prohibited right now?
- You are not allowed to gather with people you don't live with; this includes playdates or visiting family or friends from different households.
- How can I celebrate the holidays safely?
- What is the guidance for schools regarding multi-family gatherings?
Travel
- Can I travel to Vermont? Are out-of-state visitors allowed?
- I have parental shared custody. Can my child and I travel without quarantining?
Assigned Bus Seating
Our elementary schools have assigned students to specific seats on the bus in the event that staff may need to identify close contacts to a positive individual. In some situations, these bus seats may change to promote safety due to unsafe behaviors that may arise. Please take time to talk with your student(s) about the importance and reasons for remaining in their assigned seat each time they ride the bus. This will assist with accurately identifying close contacts.
Ruvna Health Screening App
For the safety of students and staff, please fill out the Ruvna App EVERY DAY of in-person learning . This is very important, as it notifies you (or your student) whether or not to attend school. This important step will assist in helping to stop the spread of coronavirus.
When your student has symptoms and/or is sick or staying home:
Please continue to fill out the Ruvna App and call the school's attendance line to report your student's absence. If you are emailing your student's teacher about an absence, please also phone in the absence.
Vermont Department of Health Frequently Asked Questions!
What does close contact mean?
Close contact means being closer than six feet or two meters apart for a total of 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period while the person was infectious, which starts two days before any symptoms began (or for people without any symptoms, two days before the day they got tested) and continues until they are recovered.
For more information and translations click here.
How contact tracing slows the spread of COVID: VIDEO.
Health Department Notification:
If you received a text message from 89361, this is a notification from the Health Department that you are a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19. You need to stay home and away from other people to prevent further spread of the virus.
Soon you will receive a call from a Health Department Contact Tracer. Please answer the call.
School Notification:
If a student or staff member is determined to be COVID positive and infectious while at school, the response team, along with guidance from the Health Department, will determine which individuals are considered close contacts. A member of the school team will reach out and inform you of your student's quarantine requirements and safe return to school plan.
What does quarantine mean?
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from other people. Quarantine means you need to stay home and away from other people for 14 days. This means you can’t do any activities outside of your home, like going to school, work, or out to do errands or recreation. You should separate yourself from others and check yourself for symptoms.
Quarantine is for:
- people who were in close contact with someone sick with COVID-19 (day 1 of your quarantine starts the day after you were last in contact with them)
- Vermonters who travel out of state (day 1 of your quarantine starts the day after you return to Vermont)
- people with no symptoms who are visiting Vermont (day 1 of your quarantine starts the day after you arrive in Vermont)
- people who have gathered with another household (day 1 of your quarantine starts the day after the gathering)
If you have not had symptoms of COVID-19, you have the option to get a PCR test on day 7 and end your quarantine with a negative test result.
Quarantine helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 before a person knows they are sick, or if they are infected with the virus and don’t have symptoms.
What does isolation, quarantine and self-observation mean? See a chart here.
Do I need to quarantine if someone I had close contact with is under quarantine?
No. You do not need to quarantine if you had close contact with someone who is under quarantine. That means you can go to school, work, or the grocery store.
If you are living with someone who is under quarantine, stay at least 6 feet from them. People under quarantine should wear a mask in common spaces, use a separate bathroom, eat separately, and otherwise not be in close contact with others in the household who are not under quarantine. Be sure to disinfect commonly touched surfaces, and check yourself for symptoms for 14 days.
I am in quarantine, but I can’t avoid close contact with someone I take care of. Do they need to quarantine?
In situations where close contact cannot be avoided, close contacts of the person under quarantine do not also need to quarantine. For example, if a person depends on someone who is under quarantine for care and basic needs, and close contact cannot be avoided, the person who receives care may continue with activities outside of the home. For example, they may continue to go to work, school, child care, the grocery store, etc.
I take care of someone who is in quarantine, but I can’t avoid close contact with them. Do I need to quarantine?
Where to Get a PCR Test (rapid antigen test results are not accepted at school):
If your student needs to get tested, please contact their health care provider. There are a variety of places to get tested; visit "Where to Get Tested" on the Health Department's website to find a COVID-19 test site.
PCR Test:
Only PCR test results are accepted at school when your student is being tested for COVID-19. Rapid antigen test results will not be accepted.
If your student needs to get tested, please contact their health care provider. There are a variety of places to get tested; see this link to find a COVID-19 test site.
Some local PCR Testing Sites:
- NEW: Burlington City Arts Studio, 405 Pine Street, Burlington: by appointment through the Vermont Dept. of Health website.
- UVM Drive-Through at Fanny Allen: #847-5440
- Kinney Drugs, So. Burlington: #860-0714
- ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care, So. Burlington: #448-8205
How can we help our children who are feeling anxious and scared?
Below is a wonderful short article with helpful tips for parents and caregivers.
Budget Process For Next School Year
December 4th Update from Superintendent Young
Dear Families, Staff, and Community Members,
I hope you all had a wonderful and productive first week back after break. It’s truly hard to believe it is December already! While it’s challenging, especially during the winter holidays, to keep gatherings limited to one’s own household, I truly appreciate you taking heed of the Governor’s guidance. Admittedly, there has been some confusion around that guidance, therefore the Vermont Agency of Education has released a FAQ document to address varied circumstances which I have noted below. Thank you all for your continued sacrifices for the well being of our students, staff, and community. Keeping our students participating in in-person learning as much as possible continues to be our top priority.
Travel Guidance: Mandatory Quarantine and Multifamily Gatherings
I wanted to thank our families and staff for being so diligent during the recent holiday and break. We have seen a limited number of students and staff needing to quarantine this week as a result of travel or multi-household gatherings (which are currently prohibited). Prior to the break, we made the decision not to ask an additional screening question related to travel and gathering, instead trusting in our families to do the right thing and quarantine if necessary.
That being said, as we head toward December holidays, we need to continue our efforts to protect our community and one another. This week, Secretary of Education Dan French released this FAQ Guidance for Schools Related to Limits on Multi-household Social Gatherings which should answer many of your questions.
Additional resources on travel, gatherings, and quarantine are available from the CDC. As a reminder, nonessential travel to and from Vermont requires a quarantine. Although the CDC has discussed reducing the quarantine period from 14 down to 10 days, 14 days stands as the current recommendation from the Vermont Department of Health. If you haven't had any symptoms of COVID-19 within the first 7 days of quarantine, you have the option to seek a PCR test on or after Day 7 to end quarantine early with a negative result, but you must continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.
FY22 Budget: Next Community Forum December 8
The FY22 budget development process is underway and we want to hear from you! Our first community forum took place over Zoom November 10 and our next is December 8 followed by another January 5. Please note, these forums are taking the place of our Citizens Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC) this year. We invite you to offer your questions, comments, or to simply “drop in” to listen to the presentation. The budget will also be a topic on our regular school board meeting agendas. The minutes and agendas are posted on the school board page of our district website. There is an option to participate via Zoom or watch live via RETN’s Facebook page (or on the RETN website afterward). You can also find the latest budget information, including the November 10 presentation on our District budget website.
Running for the School Board: Two Open Seats!
Two positions on South Burlington’s five-member school board will be open this coming March; one for a term of two years, through March 2023 and the other for three years through March 2024. Board member Martin LaLonde wrote this article in the December 3 issue of The Other Paper which provides additional details and a firsthand perspective on what it’s like to serve on the board. For more information on becoming a candidate including deadlines for filing, see the City of South Burlington website.
Nutritional Services
Thank you to our nutritional services staff for providing meals to students during the Thanksgiving break! This dedicated team will also be offering meals over early winter break, December 21, 2020-January 1, 2021. Five (5) days' worth of meals will be delivered together each Monday, December 21 and December 28 via bus or pickup. There will be no individual daily meal choices only meal groups such as main meal, vegetarian or gluten free meals. Order forms must be submitted by Friday, December 18 at 1:00 pm. A separate order form needs to be placed for each student in a household. You can find the order forms on the nutritional services website.
Winter Sports Start Delayed and Plan for Indoor Track
While the winter sports season was set to begin November 30, it was announced by the Governor November 24, that, like recreational sports, the start time has been delayed and no new date has been set. This directive is being reviewed on a weekly basis. Despite this disappointing news, the high school is getting creative with how to navigate their largest sport: indoor track, especially given that it has not been sanctioned during the Winter 2020-21 season due to concerns related to training and restrictions on meet venues. It should be noted that COVID guidelines will be followed and the majority of workouts will be taking place outside. If workouts occur inside, they will be in safe spaces such as the weight room with appropriate physical distancing.
Our Director of Student Activities Michael Jabour has been working hard to come up with a plan and reports that, at the moment, the team, which is significantly smaller than in years past (less than 50 total) will be split into smaller teams that will be competing against each other throughout the winter. The "meets" will alternate between in-person and virtual. Jabour said, “Teams will have the opportunity to include some of their teachers to earn extra points toward the overall School Champions that will be crowned February 13th. We will be awarding individual event winners from that day and our cumulative team score champions to conclude a fun and different season!” Check out the SBHS indoor track and field page for more information!
School Happenings
SBHS Food Drive Competition Nets Impressive Donation
The Coalition for Community Service helped coordinate this year’s SBHS food drive to benefit the South Burlington Food Shelf. A competitive element between the blue and gray packs added to the fun! At the conclusion of the drive, the blue pack had donated 665 items while the gray pack collected 746 items with 40 fewer students! In total, over 1,335 lbs of food were donated to the food shelf by members of the Coalition for Community Service. This is by far the most a single food drive has ever brought in! Well done!
FHTMS Art Students Explore Exhibits Virtually
Recently, students in art teacher Beth Coleman’s Studio 6 and Studio 8 classes explored the Shelburne Museum online exhibit Creature Comfort: Animals in the House. Students were able to choose from thousands of artifacts to create a postcard to send in gratitude to the Shelburne Museum. In turn, the museum shared many of the students’ postcards on the Shelburne Museum Instagram!
Gertrude Chamberlin School Food Drive a Success
Chamberlin School families, students, and staff collected 536 lbs of nonperishables during their annual food drive. Items were delivered to the South Burlington Food Shelf prior to Thanksgiving. With added support from the greater community, Chamberlin Staff, PTO, Vibrant Church, Menard and Sons, Ignite Church, and the School Lunch Fairies, support for the season was provided to many Chamberlin families as well.
Rick Marcotte Central 5th Graders Head West!
Recently, 5th graders at Central School participated in the westward expansion unit where students act as pioneers traveling West to get to Oregon with a wagon train (other classmates at their table). According to 5th grade teacher Kristen Kavanagh, students have a day to "pack" their supplies before they head west to navigate obstacles that pioneers faced back in the 1800's such as snake bites and wagon wheels breaking. They have to make difficult decisions around which trails to take based on little information!
“To simulate the fates, we do many different things like flip a coin, roll die, or even toss a ball into a trash can from 20 feet away! It's an engaging way to learn about the journey for students,” Kavanagh noted. Check out the RMCS Twitter Page for photos!
Orchard School: Good News from the Library!
The pandemic isn't stopping Orchard School students from diving into good books. Prior to vacation week, students stocked up with an incredible 625 books to read over break! Students in grades 3-5 have also recently learned how to log in to "hold" a book through the library's Destiny Discover. Keep it up!
I hear there may be a little snow in the forecast. I hope you all have the chance to get out to safely enjoy the change of season.
Thanks,
David
Family Resources:
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE VERMONT -SHARES PARENT & CAREGIVERS GUIDE AND RESOURCES
COVID-19 Parent & Caregiver Guide
No matter how prepared you are, an outbreak can be stressful. Here are some recommendations to promote your family's well-being during COVID-19.
Family Support with Technology/Chromebooks
Here's the link to the breakfast and lunch menus.
Gertrude Chamberlin School
Email: hrouelle@sbschools.net
Website: https://vt01819219.schoolwires.net/Domain/10
Location: Chamberlin School, White Street, South Burlington, VT, USA
Phone: 802 652 7403
Twitter: @hrouelle